Rise in international applications

Compared to the same point last year, applications from overseas students have risen by 38%.

In particular, there have been significant increases in the numbers of applications from students in Africa and the Middle East, particularly the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

The University has received 2,450 applications from international applicants compared to 1,780 at the same point last year.

And bosses have stressed that applications are expected to increase significantly as the University heads into the peak recruitment period over the summer.

Director, International, Jo Gittens said: “There are a number of reasons for the 38% increase in applications from international students, including work in identifying, targeting and entering new markets.

“As a result, we have seen rises in applications from countries such as Iraq, Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Libya and Zimbabwe.

“The University opened a regional office in Oman last year, and this has also led to an increase in applications from the region.

“Also of note is that after two years of national decline in applications from India, we have seen signs of recovery with an increase of 16% from the subcontinent.

“We are now entering the peak recruitment period so we are expecting significantly more applications from overseas students as we are seeing exciting growth in areas we are actively targeting.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Geoff Layer said: “Our international students bring a rich diversity of experiences to the University community and contribute significantly to the local economy, providing inward investment to Wolverhampton, Walsall, Telford and, in the future, Stafford.

“We have developed our regional presence in a number of countries to ensure potential students have the right information about studying at Wolverhampton and in the UK and have actively sought out new markets to grow our recruitment base.”

International applications refers to students from outside the EU.

The University has regional offices in China, Malaysia, India, Oman, Nigeria and Cyprus. It has a branch campus in Mauritius and courses are also delivered with global partners in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Russia, Greece, Ireland, France and Cyprus.